Time Trimmed the Hair

September 27, 2006 Wednesday

Joel Akin

Once upon a time in a land far off and old there lived a young man with a wish. This wish was like a dream and the dream was one that kept the young man up at night. He spent his days lazing around and his parents suggested he go out and find a job or a wife or something to keep his life occupied. They were rich and well off and yet this young man wanted something more. Something that would make him happy. Something that his parents couldn’t give him.

Well it wasn’t easy being him and in fact sometimes he hated himself because it seems chance eluded him. He found that his friends were mediocre and didn’t understand him. They asked “What do you wish to do?” and he tried to explain his wish to them and they laughed or looked puzzled.

Now as the years passed the young man grew up and found a friend to spend his time with. His put his wish on the shelf and said “I shall pick it up again some day when I understand” and went back to having fun with his friend. There wasn’t anyone there to tell him how to live his life and the youngish man lived it as pleased his own eyes. He had had fun and enjoyed life to the fullest.

Yet there was a stir in his heart he could not explain and he talked to his friend often about it and his friend, being a friend, listened. Finally it came about one day that his friend suggested they go for a stroll. As they were out walking his friend said “Why don’t you carry it yourself?” and the young man thought “What a marvelous idea...” and so that night he lay in his bed and he made his plans. And he put on the outer, which was the figure that belonged to his father, and carted it around for a few hours. And during those few hours he strove to find out how to carry it for the outer gained great weight and there seemed to be no off button and the young man grew afraid and then he grew very terrified. For if he was discovered with the outer he would be chastised for sure.

But as the night wore on and the morning approached he ran to his friends home and cried out “I have done what you suggested. I put on the outer and it is broken. Or something worse. I cannot stop it and it is destroying me...” His friend laughed and said “Tell your father. You’ll get punishment for sure but don’t let it worry you” and he closed the door.

But the morning held terror to the young man greater than what he had done. He was afraid of what his father would do. They loved him but they didn’t play with these machines and his wish to be like his father suddenly seemed like a terrible idea. For the Outer carried great weight and it was boring into his thoughts and he cried out in terror. But being a young man he formulated a plan. He would hide the outer underneath his sleeve and bear its pain and he would tell no one and swear his friend to secrecy if he ever, ever told anyone.

And so he did. And Time young carried the outer and wore it and bore its pain for many years until he learned its secrets. But it was, in a way, too late. For Time young wasn’t meant to carry an outer. The outer was meant for other things and not for people. And perhaps in this story you might laugh or look around quizzically and think “I don’t understand what the outer is...” But it doesn’t matter because you heard a story of curiosity. And curiosity is a story all of us understand. That we look at things that belong to others and we wish and we long and we hope. And sometimes we want those things so much that we all see ourselves in them

Keep dreaming, keep wishing. But wait for your time and not the dreams of others. That is there dream. Your dream is what matters. So don’t give up and trust God for He will help you make your dreams come true.